


Bird: Author's Files

by Racheakt



Series: Bird [2]
Category: Worm - Wildbow
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-13 00:41:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9097906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Racheakt/pseuds/Racheakt
Summary: Addressing various canon observations, explanations, questions, and miscellany.





	1. Mission Statement

This is where I will be posting my Author's Notes. Addressing various canon observations, explanations, questions, and miscellany. 

This is so there aren't pages of Notes for people to scroll through to get to the story itself. In addition, I may (at my discretion) address questions reviewers pose from time to time. If I do, they will be here.

***

I reserve the right to go back and edit in additional details here as the story progresses, so this may end up expanding in the future. In case you have questions.

***

I started writing Bird with several goals in mind. Some were ambitious, others fairly minor. 

I wanted to write a story in opposition or as antithesis to many of Worm’s themes. A good summary might be taken from a conversation of mine:

_“In Bird I wanted to cover as many AU elements as possible while allowing it to remain recognizable as Worm."_

I wanted to make the story contrast many of the themes in Worm- where there are a series of physical and authoritative threats in Worm, there will be a series of emotional and mental threats in Bird. For example- instead of Coil, who was, for all his Thinker powers, a physical threat- instead we have Ingénue as a gang leader in Brockton. 

Ingénue will be an emotional opponent who uses her social chameleon abilities to try and leverage those around her willingly, and her Trump power has negative repercussions for Taylor- Taylor herself will have a kind of mental illness brought on by her power, one that Ingenue’s very presence threatens to exacerbate.

Yet, for all that, Ingenue will not be an evil megalomaniac, her motives and methods will be sympathetic. She will be an ally and friend, for all her faults. Yet for all that Taylor will be at odds with her- a woman who has the potential and motives to, not only harm her directly, but drive her to insanity.

Inversion.

Enjoy!


	2. 1.1

**Auspice**

A divine or prophetic token.

See also: [Augury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augury)

**Alchemilla Asylum.**

A few points to cover here.

I have always been of the opinion that the asylum we see in canon was less a hospital for the ill of mind, and much more an armory for flawed weapons. It is used for their upkeep, but generally does not operate under the assumption that they will ever actually leave at any point.

Now, there are several good reasons for this. Understandable reasons. Some of those parahumans were dangerous criminals, and you don’t want them out on the streets again. Others, like Sveta or Elle, have only limited control over their powers, and there isn’t a real long-term fix for that. Still further you have the accepted tendency towards instability in capes, once cracked they might very well crack again.

There are, of course, actual crazies, like Mimi, who can't help their situation.

Lastly, the PRT is first and foremost concerned with controlling capes and maintaining the status quo, not helping the public. Once they leave the asylum, that control vanishes. Add to that the way the therapists are hobbled in Doctor Yamada’s interlude- limited when helping the sane, stable, and heroic public face of parahumans, and minors to boot, mind you -and you get a very bleak picture of the institution.

So, once they arrive at Alchemilla there are forces in play that want them contained. Not healed.

I named the asylum after one of the several sanitariums in Silent Hill. You will, in fact, find many references to Silent Hill throughout Bird, and particularly Cage. There are also a number of references to Arkham Asylum, and the SCP Foundation as well, but Silent Hill is more prevalent.

**Taylor's Power:**

I got the idea from [A Survivor Is Born](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/ASurvivorIsBorn). 

One of the things that stuck with me in that story was the ambiguity of Taylor's power (which is never directly laid out for the reader). One of the guesses I made was some kind of 'asset clairvoyance'.

Which is basically the power that you find in video games that lets you know how many bullets are in a gun when you pick it up, know how to effectively use a sword when you touch it without any actual instruction, highlights the shortest route you can take, gives you a crafting menu when you have stuff in your inventory, shows you a dialogue tree with a broad sense of the repercussions from each choice, highlights weaknesses, and the danger sense that gives you a radar of hostiles even when you have no valid reason to know someone wants to shoot you.

Of course, because of that she accidentally killed someone. After all, when a power provides you the most direct method for getting out of a room, and you have not yet gained a full understanding of what it says, you just might end up jamming a pen into some nurse's eye socket. 

Hench, the situation.

Basically, it's something of Lisa's power, but limited by proximity instead of duration (as Lisa's power is). The more she can examine something, touch it, inspect it, the closer it is to her and the more detailed an examination she can make, the more information she can pull off of it and the more she understands it.

It is less based around knowledge like Lisa's is, Taylor's theme is instead understanding.

**Shoutouts:**

Doctor Resch and Doctor Young are taken from the hilarious fanfic [Bruce Has A Problem](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/BruceHasAProblem). Resch is, as I understand it, an OC, while Young is actually a minor canon character.

The other PA flavortext announcement is taken from the Arkham website that accompanied the game.


	3. 1.2

**The Computer Lab and Sveta:**

In canon, Sveta apparently used the computer lab and had no personal computer (mentioned in her conversations on PHO). In contrast to what I have here- both Taylor _and_ Sveta have their own computer. And it can be inferred that a significant number of other patients with special needs do as well.

The reason being that it always made very little sense to me, Sveta needing to go to the computer lab- I can see there being public areas for parahumans without a lot of options to mingle socially. I _cannot_ see there being any particular reason for Sveta to not have a computer in her room, beyond exerting additional control over her. Compared to a lot of the restrictions she already has that is hamfisted, and probably pointless.

There are more effective ways, not to mention more useful powers and parahumans to control.

For the purposes of this fic, there are computers in the rooms of some patients on a case by case basis.

**Nicholas/Sadboy:**

Sadboy is a canon character briefly mentioned by Doctor Yamada, his real name- Nicholas -is also canon. What isn’t canon being his power, how long he was in the asylum, or any other details of him or his case in particular- we never actually meet him.

He possesses the ability to know the greatest shame/fear of whoever he is currently looking at. A Thinker power that in the right hands would be a devastatingly powerful tool. In keeping with the themes I’m working with, in the hands of a shy, somewhat awkward teenage boy, he hates having that ability.

Nick suffers from clinical depression, a condition exacerbated by his power. He was admitted after a suicide attempt. 

**Heather/Glassboom:**

Heather is an OC. Her power is loosely based on Mu, from [Materia Blade’s Copacetic](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/Copacetic), but really there are a lot of physics-breaking powers that would fit. Her ability is to ‘reflect’ physical force above a certain threshold.

In essence, she could be hit with a hundred pounds of force, and will reflect seventy percent of that force; reducing the total force impacting her to thirty pounds.

This would be a fine power, but her thrill-seeking personality got her into one too many close calls and she was admitted under the authority of her Director and the PRT councilor that worked her case.

**Charnel/???:**

Charnel is an interesting one. She evolved as a fusion of canon ideas, original ideas, and ideas taken from other settings.

At first I wanted to write a protagonist that possessed the Hunter’s powers from Bloodborne. And while that idea was eventually shelved there is, actually, a canon character, Carnal, that possessed the ability to bath in blood to heal rapidly (basically the exact power I was looking for). Her appearance and personality is based primarily on the Plain Doll from Bloodborne, a little off of Rei Ayanami, a little off Luna Lovegood.

In keeping with some of those characters, she probably knows a lot more about what’s going on than most in this setting.

 _Why_ she developed this way is another topic entirely.

**Codenames**

Insisting on using monikers in the asylum never made much sense to me. If it functions anything like an actual hospital, it would be very difficult to prevent different patients from learning each other's actual names, and that's before you account for actual outside forces that might come looking for them. In which case the last thing you'd want is for them to be able to confirm that, yes, Kaiser/Purity/Skitter/Armsmaster/ect is indeed present. Maybe they give them different code-names? In which case there are other records that would be more useful in finding a patient regardless of name, and to the best of our knowledge are not addressed- like incarceration/admittance date.

It also bears mention that reinforcing the idea of them being parahumans first, and humans second, probably encourages sync between the host and power. Increasing theoretical usefulness to Cauldron. 

Naturally, this retards their mental health and stability. As I have said, the impression is not that it is important that the patients get helped. Just that they remain under the faculty's control.


	4. 1.3

**Sveta**

Sveta, as a character, is based heavily on her rendition in [Manager](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SeravielsManager), which provided a lot of the inspiration. She had a limited role in canon and I like Ziel's take on it.

She is also something of a representation of Alchemilla as a whole- the oppressive, controlling, and tragic situation she is in will be repeated in each of the other patients in whole or in part.

Interesting aside- Sveta fills a peculiar role in canon and in this story, as she is completely sane. She just has a power that happens to be uncontrollable and dangerous. As such, she establishes the precedence of parahumans in the asylum having less an issue with mental health, and more issues with controlling or directing their powers.

**Yamada's Credentials**

Yamada's qualifications are not random letters jumbled in a game of Acronym soup.

LPCMH - Real qualifications. Means 'Licensed Professional Counselor of Mental Health'.

LCPP - Fictional qualifications. Means "Licensed Clinical Parahuman Psychologist".

**Shoutouts**

The pacing man's ranting is The Preacher's (also known as The Mad Prophet) from Fallout 3.

Quilt, Frog, and Prowler are the Case 53s murdered by Satyrical in Cauldron's base: [Venom 29.04](https://parahumans.wordpress.com/category/stories-arcs-21/arc-29-venom/29-04/%20)

_Blood, corpses. Three dead case fifty-threes. Two men and a woman. A cat-man with far too many teeth in his mouth, even covering the roof and the space beneath his long, narrow tongue, something that looked like keyboards on his forearms. A reptile, not so different from Newter, but with no mouth or nose. Only two overlarge eyes. The last was a girl, squares of flesh intersped with patches of cloth. Her mouth was only a tear in the cloth._

_Their throats had been neatly slashed -the patchwork girl bled like anyone else might- and they’d been dragged into this room. It was clear from the way that the blood trail suddenly stopped that someone had cleaned up._

Inkling is, of course, based on Callie from Splatoon.

Marionette is based on the psychopathic and possessed doll, Hetty, from Gunnerkrigg court.


	5. 1.4

**Yuliana/Wick**

Wick's power is to 'wick' useful materials from her surroundings, leeching nutrients to bolster herself directly. This grants her enhanced healing, immunity to fatigue/thirst/hunger as long as she has a source of nutrients, and the illusion of a moderate enhanced durability. It is actually a Striker ability, of course. If she were more mentally capable she could focus this power into generated anemia, weak bones- osteogenesis imperfecta, and other illnesses and disorders connected to deficiencies in the body. Potentially inflicting focused damage on any organic objects she can safely touch. She has minor immunity to some kinds of poisons as well.

Her mental handicap is based on Burnscar's, and Labyrinth's. In canon, they were all about being indiscriminate in different ways, prompting their parahumans to act with a chemical incentive (Burnscar) or disconnect (Labyrinth). In this case, she is unable to distinguish between individuals and instead sees them all as the primary source of stress when she triggered. Due to the power misinterpreting her need to be close to, and touch, this individual.

**Summer Holiday**

Summer's power I waffled back and fourth on a while. Basically Jubilee from X-men, or Orisa from Overwatch- a lot of energy projectile effects and gimmicks. Summer's role in the story had less to do with her powers than it had to do with the character I wanted in Summer's posting. In keeping with many of the themes I'm working with for Bird, where Wildbow often came up with powers first, I am trying to come up with people first. Summer Holiday is the poster child for this policy.

**Doctor Jeremy Foster**

Doctor Jeremy Foster is a canon character- he shares the spotlight in Faultline's Interlude and used to be Director of the Asylum Elle and Mimi came from. Due to my chain of events happening somewhat differently, he is still there, getting ready to retire.

  
**Lizard Prince**  


Lizard Prince is a canon character mentioned in Dragon's Interlude, as an inmate of the Birdcage who was murdered while she was offline following her fight with Skitter and the Undersiders. As with Sadboy, we don't know much about him except that he was feared outside the 'cage, and Dragon had expected his early death. 

As this timeline is moved around a little bit, he has not yet been incarcerated there.

His history as relayed by Summer is loosely based on [One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo's_Nest_\(film\)) with key elements reversed, in keeping with the theme of inversion and reversal.

His powers will be outlined next chapter. 

**Shoutout**

Summer Holiday's appearance (and name) are taken from Holly Summers from No More Heroes.


	6. 1.5

**LovelyGinger**

Emma’s E-mail address here is her PHO handle in [A Show of Force](https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/a-show-of-force-worm-au.354058/)

**GestateingTeneral**

Taylor’s E-mail address here is the first and last arcs of Worm. I thought it apropos.

**JoinedinDeluge**

Annette's E-mail address here is a reference to X-Com. It references the mission in which Annette Durand joins the Player's faction.

Geddit?

  
**Lizard Prince's Power**  


I wanted a character strong enough to pose a real threat, one that was not easy to counter. But not one so overwhelming that he was insurmountable. The purpose of Prince is not to be a physical threat overcome. In a way he's the Sophia of Bird, an antagonist who isn't confronted physically, who offers an emotional or mental threat. As such he needed to be a character who Taylor is at an extreme disadvantage against. He's socially entrenched, smart, his power is flexible...

Basically, it's Orochimaru plus Spiderman. Orochimaru (Contortion powers, Skin Shedding Regen) plus Spiderman (Wall-Walking, Danger Sense, Web-Spray).

  
**The Triumverate**  


I wanted to run the Triumvirate with alternate powers. In keeping with the themes, I wanted to invert their themes when possible. I gave each of them powers that belonged to the most 'useless' capes in canon.

**Hero - > L33T**

L33T's power is one of the strongest in Worm, but he is hobbled by the incredible disunity he has with his shard. In Bird, Hero is a lot stronger than L33T by simple dint of having access to Contessa, who can analyze how his power works- and how to avoid the pitfalls that hobbled L33T. He also has access to all Tinkertech Dragon has, through the Protectorate.

Due to his active efforts to cultivate his power, and his aggressive participation in battling S-class threats, he will have a great deal of freedom, more than L33T ever had. But, for all of that, his power is still fading.

In this AU he is Cauldron’s trump card and great hope, and their flawed dark horse.

**Eidolon- > Scapegoat**

Scapegoat is strongly implied by Taylor to actually be really powerful. Also, it is strongly hinted that Nega-Eidolon was using Scapegoat’s power. She speculates that he could use that power to instantly change his powers out and perform other feats, ect.

In this AU, Eidolon is treated much like Legend- tied with Alexandria for second place next to Hero.

His powers will include:

‘Flickering out’ injuries, by shifting through possible states of being. Self and others. Similar to Legend’s Brute power and Nega-Eidolon's power.

Permanently altering powers for self or others by shifting through all possible variants of a powerset- example: Echidna clones. Grue’s clone gained a mass-teleport version of his normal power. This Eidolon could do much the same.

Instantly gaining minor gear and enhancements- shift to a state with greater strength/flexibility/endurance/intelligence/ect, as in canon, that power allows him to flicker in knives, guns, armor, ect.

Can gain two minor powers from a library- think Othala -nothing as potent as Eidolon’s power in canon. They remain at the ‘weakest state’, compared to canon, but unlike canon, he can shift between them in a single flicker. Less than a second. Flight, lasers, medium-strength elemental kinesis, additional Brute durability/healing powers, enhanced senses, super speed, danger sense, short range clairvoyance, minor Tinkering.

Can temporarily grant others these minor powers until he flickers again.

**Alexandria- > Garrote**

I already have Sveta as a character, Alexandria will be more a case of irony. Sveta looks up to her, and worships the ground she floats over. An idea suggested by Ziel:

_Garrotte-Alexandria, something along the lines of Riful, from Claymore. Changer, unfolding and taking on an incredibly tough and durable Brute tentacle form. Not sure what story themes that would play to, though. Something with Sveta having someone to look up to? Or a power that is not necessarily photogenic being strong and useful and valued._

In keeping with the idea for Eidolon, it will be taken to a ‘true potential’ extreme.

I liked the idea of Alexandria being functionally similar to canon, but altered in application tremendously. She’s the Brute of the Three, and more active in the administrative arm of Cauldron’s operations.

I might actually add in a bit of Weld- the ability to alter her flesh’s nature from metal to flesh and back seamlessly. Note the pictures provided.

Furthermore, I kind of like the idea of her being a shapeshifter. One of the pervasive themes in Bird is emotional and mental opposition, and Stranger/Master/Trump powers will be more central to the plot and character development.

... Imagine how much more dangerous Alexandria would have been in canon, if she had shape shifting at her disposal...

**Legend**

Legend bit it in this timeline. Siberian doesn't exist in this AU, but he met his end in another fashion. 

**Ingénue**

I honestly liked her character from the moment we met her in canon. Reminded me of Rhoad Kamelot from D. Grey Man. Thought the concept was tragicly ubderused, but in the end Wildbow wrote his story with grand clashes in mind and Ingenue is best suited to intrigues.

While I can't fault him for it, I was always more taken with character focus and exploration- like asking if Iron Rain was Panacea's mother, or if Faultline was a bud from Jack Slash, or if Ingenue's final boyfriend prior to the cage was Chevalier. 

A shame he went out of his way to shoot most of those down... and that the story remained so focused on powers instead of people.

Weird little quirks and puzzles always interest me most. I'm a bit dissapointed that we never saw very much of that in Worm. Nearly all of Lisa's investigations happened offscreen! But maybe I'll manage that here.

On a related note: She is almost certainly a Drug Cape, as her power has an emotional requirement. The only other cape with a conditional requirement we know of is Lung- and his Trigger did involve drugs. His is 'while in combat'. Hers is 'while in love'.

Interlude 18.y

_Peter was still talking, responding to something Kayden had said. “Drugs tend to create conditional powers. It’s not hard and fast, but you get situations where the power is directly linked to one’s physical, mental or emotional state. We think it’s because the power works off a template it builds as the powers first manifest. If someone is riding an emotional high as they trigger, their powers will always be looking for a similarly excited state to operate at peak efficiency, often an emotion or drugs. When people were caught trying to fabricate trigger events, sometimes they were intending to use this so the subject would be more easily controlled.”_

Is she evil?... was her character her real persona, or some kind of mask or veneer?

... Honestly? I don't know.

Her most likely incarceration date is eight years before the Birdcage was opened (mentioned by both Chevalier and Skitter), that would be less than a year after the Simurgh first showed up. Which means chances are low to nonexistent that she got a fair trial.

Teacher, despite his general idiocy, would likely know if she was lying to him (as a matter of self preservation and familiarity) yet seems to think she is in denial rather than lying.

I am assuming that in canon she went to the cage and gradually went insane, due to a combination of the environment she was in, the pressures of her power and what it drove her to do to survive, and the simple burden of guilt that killing someone you love would have. In this AU she realized that she was the cause and went on the run.


	7. 1.6

**Exercise Room**

This is an interesting. Asylum residents need somewhere to exercise. But there are flight risks and former villains, patients with phobias, indiscriminate powers, and self-harmers. It isn't clear what an asylumn would do to accommodate powers in that context. Then of course there is the ingrained need for parahumans to use their powers.

It's really a conundrum. One of the more difficult ones I've tackled. I'm going to go into detail with it over time.

**Benny/Cidersong**

Benny's character is loosely based on Papyrus from Undertale. And, in this case, I am portraying him as an autistic hero-aspirant. One of the most earnest characters in the asylum.

Cidersong's power is a Blaster ability that induces vertigo, disorientation, and euphoria. Basically a drunk-beam. Not a bad power f used intelligently, but Benny is not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

  
**Alpha Lyrae**  


The brightest star in the constellation Lyra, approximately 26 light years from Earth. Vega is one of the stars that make up the Summer Triangle.

Alpha is an Alexandria package, and very cute. The Vista of Alchemilla.


	8. 1.7

**The Story Thusfar:**

Taylor’s Been busy, hasn't she?

She stepped out of solitary confinement, had lunch with Burnscar (without getting burned), met Glassboom and Sadboy. Talked with her internet pal, Sveta. Moved to a new apartment. Met her arch-nemesis and helped a lost child find the police. Sent an E-mail. Played basketball. Participated in arts and crafts. And had a new friend of hers die in her arms.

I think it's going well so far.

This point marks the milestone I affectionately dub 'End of the Honeymoon Period'. Rougher roads lie ahead. 

Enjoy.

**Safety In Alchemilla**

Alchemilla in not a safe place. In [Doctor Yamada's interlude](https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/interlude-18-donation-bonus-3/), Doctor Yamada is almost killed herself when she visits Sveta, as someone failed to register damage to her danger suit. It is specifically noted that safety is deteriorating and that the staff are profoundly demoralized, desperation is the underlying mentality. This is noted by Jessica Yamada.

To rephrase: one of the most stable and level-headed characters in Worm notes the dire situation. I might even go so far to say that she downplays it, given her personality.

In this story, I imagine it's not abusive, so much as crippled.

As I mentioned in Note 1.1: the Patients are addressed by moniker, not name. The Therapists are discouraged from forming rapport due to fears of Thinker/Master/Stranger powers. At least one Director of the Asylum was bribed into spying for the Yangban (known kidnappers and human traffickers), and possibly as many as two other groups. 

All of that is mentioned in canon.

Not saying this is accurate to canon as such (it is a fanfic after all), but I portrayed it as close as possible while keeping the perspective that of a patient as opposed to one of the Doctors.

  
**Shoutouts:**  


Blake/Maser is a shoutout to Sans from Undertale, mostly in the form of his lazy mannerisms and habit of winking one eye. His powers are directly inspired as well.

The 'Giggling woman' in the sunroom is someone who frequent webcomic readers might have noticed, the K6BD reference is to [Gog-Agog](http://killsixbilliondemons.com/comic/concordance-of-the-demiurges//) who plays the part of giggling woman very well. Her power is the same here.


	9. 1.8

**Doctor Selmy:**

Originally, Geoffrey Selmy was initially named Geoffrey Fletcher. That is how his name appeared in the earlier chapters. But I started writing this and looked back over it and realized I was confusing Foster and Fletcher- and you KNOW it's gonna get confusing if the Author is getting confused. 

**Feral**

Feral is a character In Strong Female Protagonist. While the comic itself is not my cup of tea (shameless politicking and a really prominent political/social agenda turnoff), the story of Feral is one I thought was interesting. Feral did exactly what happened in Doctor Selmy's story. I also anticipate her organ donation project ending in a similar fashion.

  
**Shoutouts:**  


Regalia is basically Ira Gamagori. Not much to say there.

Basilisk is a riff on Chloe Walsh from No More Heroes. 

Protectorate Pals is a reference to [Tabloid](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8603173/chapters/19843999), it is a catoon-slash-propoganda show that seems semi-historical in nature as it apparently portrays the Siberian killing Hero. What a wonderful show for children.

“patrick doesnt do gross things. his body is made up of kittens, saturdays, 70 degree weather, first kisses and butterflies. trust me, i cut that bitch open once to check”

-Pete Wentz


End file.
